Building Ricky Carmichael's Loretta's Race Bike17

With Ricky Carmichael's return to the 2012 Red Bull AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship this year, he faced one opponent he hasn't seen in years...a claiming rule that would have given any competitor entered a chance to claim his bike. Rather than take a chance of that happening with a Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing machine, he opted to return to his roots, and have Pro Circuit build him a bike to take on all comers at Loretta Lynn's.

The gang over at Pro Circuit sent over a build list for RC's new bike, and everything on it is available to the public. They can (and often do) build full-race bikes for all classes, brands, skill levels and rider types. Here's what went into RC's.

Seems pretty fair to everyone else...not! Let me get this straight, RC is competing against amateurs, on a bike no one still can afford. Does he take a position away from an amateur? I still don't get this whole thing...what is he trying to prove. I used to be a huge RC fan..this is just embarrassing - go enjoy your money and stop ruining the amateur circuit.

Why wouldn't anyone claim it??? $8664.50 for a bike that has all those upgrades...seems like a steal to me. And before you go and try to say I didn't add the retail value of the parts on the bike, read every line straight from the Rule book.

G. Claiming
1. All sanctioned motocross and youth meets are claiming
meets. The claiming price shall be 30 percent over (50
percent over for Supermini) manufacturer’s suggested
retail price using the Black Book AMA Official Motorcycle
Value Guide, Kelly Blue Book or NADA appraisal guide
and include the complete motorcycle, supermini or
minicycle. Vintage- and ATV-class equipment shall be
excluded from the claiming rule.

Rockstar Canidae Suzuki in 2009 had pretty much this bike under the tenth when tommy Hahn was riding it. Chad Reed rode a Honda full blown pro circuit 2 seasons ago, he said its really good and if you have the money to hire bones bacon to do the suspension and the money to hire mitch the bike is really good but there is still plenty of japanese factory parts that they dont have access to.

But this is the best money can buy pretty much, but a factory bike is still a notch better engine wise and perhaps chassi wise, but i do think bones suspension is almost as good as the factory, at least some of the factorys suspension. The tripple clamps is pretty much the same as stock but more rigid and looks sick. The engine got pc cams, pc piston, pc porting, valves,, but no factory tranny " if not Carmichael took one of hes factory tranny over to pc to put it in, othewise i would guess the transmission is coated like tickles.

Another funny thing is that the pipes the factory riders rides may look stock but they got tons of variations and i would guess RC´s is the same, Reed get ten pipes / silencers combo to test out each weekend if not even more? But then the big question you ask is perhaps how does the suspension feels compare to a Factory 49 mm Showa forks tuned by Adam from Showa ( factory suzuki suspension master) and how is the characteristic of the powerband, and how light is the bike ? I guess it would be some saving on the weights but nothing like all the Ti bolts the factory puts on to save minor mino weights. And btw the factory suzuki tank looks stock but it is not ^^.

How do i know all this ? Friend of Josh Hansen and pc Mechanic, some of the other names out there, and been comparing and following the sports bike / privaters vs Stock. PC vs Factory, factory connection vs Factory Honda for a long time now. I love pro circuit and its sick that they can provide a normal person pretty equal to factory parts. I think RC is pumped on hes bike and love to test back to back to hes factory suzuki.

What's stupid about it ? Bikes people should claim at Loretta's: RC and AC's supermini. As stated above its a rule to deter competitors from dumpIng ass tons of cash into a bike because they know they can damn well lose it.